Guard for mowing machines, reapers, harvesters etc



Jan. 20, 1931. J. SEIDEL 1,789,781

GUARD FOR MOWING MACHINES. REAPERS,HARVESTERS, ETC

Filed Sept. 25, 1928 mlw 7! Z? I Cubs: new Zb p... Jan. 20, 1931 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 310m: sumac, or similar, NEBRASKA Application filedSeptember 25, 1928. Serial No. 308,248.

This invention relates to. the knife guards or sickle guards of mowers,reapers, harveste and a l sickle using harvesting machines, an theinvention particularly re ates to the 5 ledger lates of t e knife guardsand the means or holding the ledger plates in place. The general objectof the invention is to provide a construction of this character whereinthe led er plates are readily remov- 10 able or insertib e into the slotof the finger, and a further object is to provide means for detachablylockin the ledger plates in place, and means where y the upper ledgerplate may be forced down against the knife and 5 toward thelower ledgerplate to any desired extent.

A further object is to an improved sickle or knives which are so formedas to secure a self balancin sickle or knife bar. 20 Other ob ects willa pear during the course of the following description.

. My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fire 1 is a top. plan view of two fingers 25 of a ife guard, the knivescoacting therewith, one of the fingers or guards being in section;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of one of the guard fingers; 1 aF1gure 3,is a top plan view of the upper led r plate;

l i gure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

- igure 5 is a top plan view of the lower ledger plate; and I E Figure 6is a section on the line 6-6 of Referring to the drawings, 10 designatesthe base of a ard finger, to which base the usual finger ar is attached.Thisbase is formed with an upwardly extending ed e 11 a 'nst whichtherear ed e of the sic Is is as: ted to bear and exten ing from thebase is the finger 12 of usual form and formed with the laterallyprojecting portions 13, commonly found on finger bars. So far, I havedescribed a construction quite common in mowing machines.

The finger bar is formed with the usual horizontal slot 14 within whichthe sickle or knives operate. The bottom wall of this slot is formedwith a longitudinally, depending depression 15 and rearward of thisdepression with the bolt hole 16. The forward wall of the slot 14 isrecessed at 17 and the side walls of this recess are cut away at 18.Between the laterally extending horns or projecting portions 13 thefinger is slightly projected at 19. The u per wall 20 of the finger islongitudinally s otted at 21 and forward of this slot is provided withan aperture 22. Adapted to be disposed upon the upper face of the lowerwall of slot 14 is the lower ledger plate 23 which, at its forward endis formed with the forwardl projecting slightly angled lug 24 defined bylaterally disposed shoulders. The .rear end of this led or plate hasflanges 25 at the corners and is ormed with a counter-sunk aperture 26adapted to receive the head of a bolt 27 which passes through theaperture 16 and acts to old the lower ledger plate in place, the lug 24entering the recess 17 and seating in the cutaway portions 18 of therecess.

The flanges 25 engage over the laterally extending portions 7 orshoulders 13, the middle portion. of which is outwardly pro jected .at19, to fit between these flanges 25, thus locking the lower ledger platefrom v transverse movement without placing any strain on the bolt 27.

The upper ledger plate 28 is adapted to fit over the lower ledge-r plateand at itsforward end is formed with a downwardly extending flange 29,the middle of which has a forwardly projecting tongue 30. The rear endof this upper ledger plate is slotted at 31 and the forward end of thisslot is bounded by an upwardly extending lug 32. Just forward of thislug, the upper ledger plate is apertured for engagement with a screw 33which passes down through the aperture 22 in the portion 20. When theparts are in place, the lower ledger plate has its tongue 24 disposedwithin v the recess 17. The upper ledger plate is dis posed with theflange 29 bearing against the upper face of the lower ledger plate andwith the tongue or lug extending into the recess 17 The sickle orcutting knives A are disposed between the ledger plates and the upperledger plate is held in its place by means of the screw 33, the slot andthe finger bar being machined to fit the sickle blade or knives. Whenthese ledger lates are in place they cannot become deta ed as theforward ends of both plates are interlocked with the finger guard andthe rear ends are held by the screw 33 and the bolt 27.

The lateral margins of the ledger plates are beveled in oppositedirections and toothed to provide cutting edges for the knives A.

The bases 10 of the several fingers will be mounted, of course, upon awooden tongue or strip designated 34, having applied thereto any desirednumber of guide members 35,-

each of these guide members being held by a bolt or screw 36. Each ofthese guide members is formed with a relatively shallow longitudinallyextending groove 37 wherein the rear margin of the sickle formedby theknives A is mounted for longitudinal movement. The slot 37 in this guide35 is shallow and is just deep enough to act as a guide and permit theblade to cut either way effectively. This secures aself balancing of thesickle knives A.

It will be seen that the ledger plates constitute knife guards and arereadily removable and replaceable.

It is to be particularly understood that this invention is applicable tomowing machines, binders, harvesters, and structures of all kinds usinga reciprocating sickle. The self balancing feature is of particularimportance.

The finger 12 is so formed as to provide strength where needed.

What I claim is 1. In a knife guard having a cutter receiving slot,upper and lower ledger plates between which the cutter operates, theupper plate being fulcrumed at its forward end upon the lower ledgerplate for vertical movement and a screw passing through the rear end ofthe upper wall of the slot and engaging the upper ledger plate to rockit upon the fulcrum, and thereby adjust the upper ledger plate toward orfrom the lower ledger plate.

2. A knife guard having a horizontal slot within which the cutterreciprocates, the forward end of the slot being formed with a recess,a-lower ledger platehaving a lug projecting into said recess, a boltpassing through the rear end of the lower ledger plate and through theguard and thereby holding the lower ledger in place, an upper ledgerplate having a downwardly extending flange at its forward end restingupon the lower ledger plate and the lower ledger plate having a lug atits forward end engageable in the recess, the rear end of the upperledger plate having an upwardly extending lug, the upper wall of theslot in the guard being formed with an bpen ended slot to receive saidlug, and a screw passing through the upper wall of the flanges abut, themiddle portion of said shoulder being protuberant to extend between saidflanges, a bolt passing through the rear end of the lower ledger plateand holding it from longitudinal movement, an upper ledger plate havinga downwardly eatending flange at its forward end resting upon the lowerledger plate and having a lug engageable in said recess, the upperledger plate at its rear end having an upwardly extending lug, the rearend of the upper wall of the slot in the guard having a longitudinallyextending slot to receive said lug, and a screw passing the upper wallof the ard and having threaded engagement wit the upper led er late.

4. In akni e guard having a cutter receiving slot, triangular knivesoperating transversely through said slot, upper and lower parallelledger plates disposed in said slot and between which the cutteroperates, said plates bearing against the u peer and lower faces of thecutter, means or interlocking v the forward and rear ends of said ledgerplates with the knife guard against lateral movement, and means forpreventing the longitudinal movement of the ledger plates.

5. In a cutting mechanism for mowers, reapers, and kindred machines, asupporting member, slotted fingers attached thereto and projectingoutward therefrom, upper and lower parallel ledger plates mounted withinthe fingers, a plurality of connected cutting knives operating in theslots of said fingers and reciprocating transversely of the fingers andoperating between and bearing against said upper and lower ledger plate,and a guide mounted upon the supporting member and having a relativelyshallow longitudinally extending groove within which the rear ends ofthe connected knives engage, and by which they are balanced, alternateknives being beveled in opposite directions relative to each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my

